The present invention is in the field of telecommunications systems encompassing CTI and DNT-enabled communication centers, and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for allowing communication center agents to record specific messages for automated playback during active calls according to call parameters.
The field of telecommunications has grown greatly with the advent of computer-integrated-telephony (CTI) and more recently, data-network-telephony (DNT). Contributions to both aforementioned technologies have led to the advent of multimedia communications centers capable of handling a wide variety of communication types and mediums.
A large customer-care center serves as a good example of a telecommunications center that may be dedicated to serving a vast customer base through constant communication using xe2x80x9cstate of the artxe2x80x9d techniques aided by xe2x80x9cintelligent software applicationsxe2x80x9d running on processors connected to the centers telecommunication system.
A communication center of the type described in this specification employs a plurality of agents whom have been trained to operate communication equipment and applications for the dedicated purpose of serving customers whom are calling into the center.
A multimedia communication center enhanced with DNT capability as known to the inventor will include, along with a connection-oriented-switched-telephony (COST) system, an Internet protocol (IP) telephony system for handling communication events sourced from a data-packet-network (DPN) such as the well-known Internet. It will be appreciated by one with skill in the art that agent responsibilities in such a system are expanded over those of a traditional call-in center to include working with e-mails, video mails, IP voice calls, computer-aided chat sessions, and other computer/network aided communication mediums.
Agents are typically set-up at workstations adapted with equipment and network connections that are suitable for communication in both a COST and a DNT environment. For example, each agent station typically comprises a telephone connected to a central COST routing system and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU), the computer connected to a local-area-network LAN. The LAN is further connected to an IP routing system and agents receive IP calls routed to them over the LAN to their PC/VDU""s. In some cases, DNT capable telephones are also incorporated such that they may be switched from COST mode to DNT mode and back again.
In addition to enhanced equipment utilized at agent level, other equipment is provided for the purpose of automated interface with customers calling into the system at network level. Such equipment includes interactive voice response (IVR) systems, which may be adapted for both COST and DNT communication. In systems known to the inventor, intelligent routing is available at levels above the agent level (internal routing system).
Software adaptation known to the inventor as Transaction-server or T-Server software is provided to run on processors implemented at switches and terminals existing in COST, and in some instances, DPN network levels for the purpose of providing intelligent routing routines to be executed at network level. These processors are interconnected with a separate DPN or other data network such that routing commands may be communicated between instances of T-Servers. Moreover, additional data may be obtained about a caller at network level and passed to agent level over the separate data network, many times ahead of a routed communication event.
Extending intelligent routing capability into the networks allows a communication center to perform xe2x80x9cagent level routingxe2x80x9d from within a network. These routing rules are, of course, adapted to communication center capability. For example, statistical call routing, predictive call routing, skill-based routing, priority routing and other routines known to the inventor may be utilized at network level.
Some communications centers employ agents who handle communication events for a variety of clients. Such an agent may be a sales agent, for example, that is responsible for products or services offered by several different companies. Moreover, there may be a group of such agents working from within one location or communication center set up to service the accounts of multiple organizations.
One challenge facing an agent servicing multiple, sometimes unrelated accounts from a single location is switching mentally from one enterprise to another during a fast-paced workday of answering calls. It is very easy for an agent working for multiple companies to mix up company identities during a heavy call load.
One solution that has been provided to agents working in multi-client communication centers known to the inventor involves a technique known as agent scripting. Agent scripting involves sending a pre-prepared script specific to a call associated with a client to an agent targeted to receive the call. The script may be a text greeting or some other specific script designed to be read to a customer. Such scripts are routed to and displayed on an agent""s PC/VDU at the time of the related call. In this way, agents are prompted what to say (which script to use) based on pre-known information about the call, which is obtained before the actual call is routed to a target agent.
A problem with the above-described solution is that it requires agent participation in reading and reciting a script as it appears on his or her screen. During a fast-paced campaign wherein many different scripts are used, an agent may be vulnerable to errors. Especially so if two or more of the scripts are somewhat similar in composition. As a day progresses, it may be increasingly difficult for an agent to focus on a particular script after constant visual strain. This may cause uncomfortable delays between agents and customers, or worse, misidentification of a customer.
More recently, systems have been introduced that allow agents to pre-record messages for the purpose of playing them back to customers during interaction. In some cases, these pre-recorded messages are recorded in the agent""s own voice. Such recordings are IVR driven and must be selected by the agent answering a call. For example, if an agent picks-up a call from a customer for ABC. COM, then that agent would select the appropriate pre-recorded message for ABC.COM and so on. The pre-recorded message plays for the customer and allows the agent some composure time (length of message) before engaging with the customer.
It is known to the inventor that Rockwell International Corporation of Costa Mesa, Calif. provides a system wherein an agent may record his/her own voice to play to callers, and e-share (URL WWW.eshare.com) allows multiple messages, but an agent must manually select messages to be played.
One drawback to the type of system described above is that an agent must manually select which message to play. Therefore, he or she must be actively engaged in call identification before picking up the call. This system, while a marked improvement over scripting, still requires much agent participation increasing a chance for error. Systems driven by IVR technology are available for both COST and DNT applications, but an agent must select which of multiple messages to play for each call.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus that would allow an agent to record multiple messages that are automatically selected for appropriate calls based on information about calls known to the communication-center system before final agent-level-routing (ALR) routing. A system such as this would allow an agent composure time before each call, would not require scripting, and would require no direct agent participation in selecting messages to play.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for presenting a recorded message on behalf of an agent receiving a call at an agent station in a call center, the agent station having a telephony interface for receiving calls and a personal computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU) is provided, the system comprising a telephony switching apparatus enhanced by a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor; an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system executing a voice treatment option (VTO) software, coupled to the telephony switching apparatus and the CTI processor; and a data repository having recorded messages stored on behalf of the agent and accessible to the CTI processor. The CTI processor routes incoming calls to the telephony interface for the agent, uses data associated with the calls for selecting appropriate recorded messages, and causes, by controlling the IVR, a retrieved recorded message to be played to a caller upon the agent picking up the routed call.
In some embodiments the telephony switching apparatus is a standard connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) telephone switch and the telephony interface is a COST telephone, while in others the telephony switching apparatus is a data-packet network (DPN) router, and the telephony interface is one of the PC/VDU or an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT)-enabled telephone. In still other cases both types of telephony are supported.
In a further embodiment there is a data repository storing data pertaining to callers, and the system provides whispered information to agents about callers, not audible to the callers, to aid the agents in dealing with calls. The system may also, in some embodiments use the stored customer data to select and provide instructions regarding customer importance and treatment to an agent engaged in a call with a customer.
In a further embodiment the system also has software executing on the PC/VDU at the agent station, the software providing a user/interface at the PC/VDU enabling the agent to record, edit, and store messages. In this embodiment the CTI processor apprises the agent of assignments upon the agent logging on at the agent station.
In a further aspect of the invention a method for presenting a recorded message on behalf of an agent receiving a call at an agent station in a call center, the agent station having a telephony interface for receiving calls, the system comprising steps of (a) storing the recorded messages in a repository accessible to a computer-telephony integration; (b) routing a call to an agent by a computer-telephony integration (CTI) processor controlling a telephony switching apparatus; (c) selecting, by the CTI processor, from a data repository having recorded messages stored on behalf of the agent and accessible to the CTI processor, a message to be played to a caller; and (d) upon the agent picking up the routed call, playing the message to the caller.
In embodiments of the invention, described in enabling detail below and with reference to the listed figures, for the first time a system is provided which greets callers automatically in a call center environment, and also allows an agent to record greetings and other messages and store them to be selected automatically by the system and played to callers.